Madelinetosh sweater...whatever

My long suffering sweater is complete. 

Stats:  Madelinetosh DK 100% merino wool, 225 yards, size 5 circulars and straight needles
          Color:  Moss

I'm not happy with the final result, sad to say.  The pattern was easy enough, and I believe I did a very good job knitting it up, without any real problems.  I can even say, it was a very enjoyable knit.

This color representation is a bit more accurate, and I do like the color. 

What's the problem, you ask?

First of all, I didn't realize that Madelinetosh's DK is decidedly more like worsted, and not even a very soft worsted.  It's more like ... well, knitting with twine.  If I were knitting a hammock, this would have been the perfect choice.

The pattern was fairly straightforward, with the added 'delicate' knit edging around the sleeves and front.
The pattern also described the bolero type sweater as waist length, with three-quarter length sleeves.

Let me just tell you, there's nothing 'delicate' about this edging.  It's heavy and not at all flattering.  The yarn was obviously the wrong choice for this project.  I don't entirely blame the yarn, because the pattern's sizing is a bit off.  I swatched and got perfect gauge with number 5 needles, I thought it would be smooth sailing. 

I had no trouble seaming, but the size of the sweater was all wrong.  It's at least 2 sizes too big, sigh.  It's the right size up and down, but it's about 3 inches too big around.  This doesn't compute, since the sleeves knitted up perfectly around, but are about 3 inches too long. 

After doing the math, I ordered 7 hanks of Madelinetosh.  I only used 5.  I re-checked my math, according to the pattern requirements, and I was spot on....so?

I blocked the pieces before seaming.  I did try using steam after seaming...hoping the sweater would shrink a bit.  No luck there.

Lessons learned:  Don't always believe the hype about a certain brand of yarn

Check the sizing as you go, and make adjustments in the pattern ( I was afraid to stray  from the instructions)

 If the yarn doesn't feel right from the start, it probably won't feel any better later on

 Don't be afraid to frog, if you believe you made a poor pattern/yarn choice

Maybe, I should stick to socks